Privacy Notice

This statement outlines Sustainable Homes & Communities' policies in line with its commitment to ensuring the privacy of your information.

This privacy statement applies to the Sustainable Homes website. Specific provisions may apply, however, to a particular part of the site. These specific provisions will override any general privacy provisions and will be posted on the site as it is further developed.

Information CollectedYou can access the Sustainable Homes site anonymously without disclosing personal information.

Statistical information is collected each time you visit the site to tally the number of times you visit the site, the time and duration of your visit, your use of specific pages and the address of the last site you visited (if you linked into the Sustainable Homes site from another website).

This information is only used to evaluate the effectiveness of the site and is not used to identify individual web users.

Email addresses and other contact details you may have provided to request information will not be added to a mailing list or disclosed to a third party without your consent or unless we are required to do so by law.

CookiesSustainable Homes does not use cookies on its site. A cookie is a block of data that is shared between a web server and a user’s browser. Cookies give information about a user’s identity and website visiting patterns.

As the Sustainable Homes site contains links to other web sites, however, Sustainable Homes cannot be held responsible for these sites’ privacy practices or content. Sustainable Homes advises web users to check the privacy statements of linked sites.

Security of Your Personal DataSustainable Homes aims to protect the quality and integrity of your personal information and uses appropriate security and technology to maintain information, prevent unauthorised access and ensure the correct use of information.

This site does not provide facilities, however, that guarantee the security of information over the internet.

Access to InformationThe Information Privacy Act 2000 (Vic) and the Health Records Act 2001 stipulate that you are entitled to verify personal information that is kept about you, know why such information is being collected, and request correction if you believe the information is incorrect.

Requests for access and/or correction of personal and health information, should be made to Sustainable Homes via the City of Darebin's Privacy Officer on (03) 8470 8888. The City of Darebin Privacy Officer has the right to redirect your enquiry to the relevant department or to ask for your request in writing.

Privacy Policy

Sustainable Homes (City of Darebin, City of Banyule, and City of Whittlesea) believe that the responsible handling of personal and health information is a key aspect of democratic governance, and is strongly committed to protecting an individual's right to privacy. Accordingly, Sustainable Homes is committed to full compliance with its obligations under the Information Privacy Act 2000 (Vic) (Privacy Act) and the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) (Health Act). In particular, Sustainable Homes will comply with the Information Privacy Principles and the Health Privacy Principles contained in these Acts. This Privacy Policy explains some of these Principles and how they will apply.

What is Personal and Health Information?This Policy applies to both personal and health information held by Sustainable Homes.

Personal Information means information or an opinion, whether true or not, and however recorded in any form, about an individual whose identity is apparent, or can reasonably be ascertained, from the information or opinion.

Health Information is broadly defined to include information or an opinion about the physical, mental or psychological health of an individual, a disability, an individual's expressed wishes for future provision of health services or any health service provided to an individual, or other information collected to provide or in providing a health service.

Some personal information may also be "sensitive information" as defined in the Privacy Act. Sensitive information includes information like an individual's racial or ethnic origin, political views, religious beliefs, sexual preferences, membership of groups or criminal record.

What information will Sustainable Homes collect?Sustainable Homes will only collect personal and health information that is necessary for its functions and activities and in doing so will use lawful and fair means. Sustainable Homes will only collect sensitive information where consent has been given or otherwise as permitted by law.

If it is reasonable and practicable to do so, Sustainable Homes will collect personal and health information direct from the individual. When doing so, Sustainable Homes will inform the individual of the purpose/s for which the information is collected. If Sustainable Homes collects personal and health information about an individual from someone else, it will take reasonable steps to make the individual aware of these matters.

Individuals will have the option of not identifying themselves when supplying information or entering into transactions with Sustainable Homes wherever it is lawful and practicable.

How will the information be used?Sustainable Homes will only use or disclose personal and health information for the purpose for which it was collected. Sustainable Homes Staff will treat personal and health information confidentially. If Sustainable Homes needs to share information for any other purpose than for which it was collected, agreement will be sought before doing so (unless otherwise required by law).

How will information remain secure?Sustainable Homes will maintain secure systems for storing personal and health information. Sustainable Homes will also maintain operational policies and procedures to protect personal and health information from misuse and loss and from unauthorized modification or disclosure. Sustainable Homes will destroy or de-identify personal and health information if it is no longer needed for any purpose or as required by law.

What rights do individuals have to access or correct information?Individuals have a right to seek access to their personal and health information and make corrections. Access and correction will be handled under the Victorian Freedom of Information Act. Some limits may apply where particular circumstances prevent Sustainable Homes from releasing information. If any limits apply this will be explained.

If personal and health information is inaccurate, incomplete, misleading or out of date, the individual may request Sustainable Homes to correct this information. Personal and health information cannot be removed from records, but a correcting statement may be added.

Requests for access and/or correction of personal and health information, should be made to Sustainable Homes via the City of Darebin's Privacy Officer on (03) 8470 8888.

What if Sustainable Homes services are serviced by third party contractors?Sustainable Homes does outsource some of its services to third party contractors. All third party contractors will be required to comply with the Acts in all respects.

How are complaints handled?Complaints in relation to privacy and confidentiality will be handled by the City of Darebin's Privacy Officer, phone: (03) 8470 8888. Complaints will be investigated and a written response will be provided as soon as possible (but no later than 45 days). If an individual is not satisfied with the way in which the City of Darebin handles information or deals with a complaint, a formal complaint can be made to the relevant Commissioner:

Victorian Privacy CommissionerPhone: (03) 8619 8719

Victorian Health Services CommissionerPhone: (03) 8601 5200

Further Information

Any enquiries about this Privacy Policy, should be directed to Darebin City Council's Privacy Officer on (03) 8470 8888.